Page 122 of Blood and Reign

“Maybe I can control them?” Like last time and send them back to the Underworld.

I turn around and reach down inside me. I focus on the demons closest to us, and search for the flicker of a connection like last time.

But there’s nothing there.

I push my senses further, trying to search for anything and stop when I sense something brush up against my mind. It’s so slight that I barely feel it.

I try to grasp onto it or pull it to me, but as soon as I do, it moves further away, becoming shrouded in the darkness once more.

“I can’t. There’s something blocking me from reaching out to them.” My shoulders drop as I scan the area again, the mass of demons gaining more and more ground on us.

Darkness crosses Kai’s face as he looks out at them. “It must be King.”

I glance at a group of demons as they move across from us, not thirty yards away. They don’t look our way, nor do they come within a twenty-foot radius. “Why aren’t they attacking us? It’s as if—”

“They can’t see us?” Soren walks past me, coming to a stop a few feet out.

He reaches a hand out, tilting his head. “It’s spelled. There’s a barrier of some kind. I don’t think theycansee us. It looks like it acts as a deterrent too, making the demons avoid this space.”

Why would someone create a random protected space in the middle of nowhere? I glance around, looking for an answer, when I hear a familiar voice that makes me smile.

“We thought you might need some form of protection once you got back. We also set up sensors that let us know when you arrived.” I turn to Jazmyn just as she comes up behind me.

She wraps her arms around me, her body shaking with exhaustion, and her clothes streaked with blood and dirt.

“It’s about damn time you showed up.” She leans on me, out of breath as if it’s the first time she’s let herself relax. I hold her tighter and reach down inside me, pulling the energy up and pushing it toward her. Within seconds, her body stops shaking and grows stronger. I heal any cuts or bruises before she pulls back and looks at me.

“Did you…” Her shocked expression turns to a knowing smile.

I glance behind her to see Kane, Malik, and Draven close behind, all bloodied and exhausted but with fight still in their eyes.

Malik is in his demon form with Kane and Draven holding steel weapons with glowing runes of some kind. Kane has a large gash on his side. Instinctively, I push my energy toward him and heal it.

His eyes widen as he glances down at the spot before whipping up to meet mine. I stay focused and heal any other injuries before doing the same to Malik and Draven.

Before they get a chance to ask what the hell just happened, I look back at Jazmyn. She has more color in her cheeks and looks energized, like she’s ready to head back into the fight.

“You set up a barrier for us?” Even with them trying to hold the fort, they still thought of our safety.

“I knew you’d be back soon but thought you’d prefer us as your welcome party rather than a shitload of pissed-off demons.” She looks around the small clearing, free of demons, with those further down, ignoring it like it doesn’t exist. It’s as if we’re invisible.

“It wasn’t going to last much longer. Most of the witches that created it are dead, with many more injured. I’m hoping you have one hell of a plan.” Her eyes, normally so bright, now hold a deep sadness.

“We do. Have you seen King?”

She nods, releasing a harsh breath. “He showed up just before everything turned to hell. But since then, we haven’t been able to find him.”

He can’t have gone too far. I doubt he’d miss out on seeing all this.

Rion frowns, looking at Kai. “He could be cloaking himself.”

“Like a fucking coward while those around him do his dirty work.” Axel glares at the demons further down from us.

“We haven’t had a chance to look for him either, with everything going on. Once we get our foot in, more demons show up, hammering us.” Kane glances around us, a pissed-off look on his face.

“Your shadow beast has been helping us but at this stage, we’re not going to last much longer without a miracle.”

I reach down and quickly pull on the connection between Zillah and me. I find him on the other side of the city and quickly thank him for looking out for them. A warmth filters through the link, making me smile. I pull back just as he starts ripping through a group of demons.

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